6.5mm against elk.

The 6.5x55 swede has killed many, many, Moose in Europe and North America. Shot placement and a good bullet choice would take an elk no problem but I think the 120 may be on the light side. I would go the 140gr Accubond, or Partition, from Nosler or the 140SST, Interbond or Interlock from Hornady.

What are you asking, which 6.5mm bullet is going to perform the best given the conditions it's 120grains and traveling 2500fps?

Load up some Accubonds, Partitions or Barnes TTSX bullets with 120-130 gr bullets and I think you'll be fine. At least at close range. 2500 fps at the muzzle isn't going to be going fast enough much beyond 150-200 yards to give much expansion.

I have used 115 grain Nosler Partitions exclusively for big game since 1972 or 73. I do not have a problem with them, ever. I switched to them after a bad bullet event with another company.

At that starting velocity most of the bonded, or solid bullets wont expand unless you keep your distances to shorter <200 yard distances. If you put a cup and core bullet in the right spot it'll still take elk, but you have less margin for error for bullet placement. I'd probably go with an Accubond bullet and keep the distances you hunt at relatively short. Best of luck

I'd forget using a 120gr. bullet, especially at 2500 fps. They're usually starting out at about 2800fps and even so, IMO 120gr. is too light for an elk.

I wouldn't go lighter than a 130gr. TSX and only if you're within 100-150 yds.

I prefer 140-160gr bullets for elk with a 6.5x55 Swede.

tahunua001 said:

well according to nosler, Etip, partition, and accubonds reliably expand at anything over 1800 FPS and I've had 6.5mm accubonds disintegrate at 2000FPS so I'm a little leery of using those. according to the hornady ballistics calculator, it'll maintain 1000FTlbs of energy and just under 2000 FPS to 350 yards if it has 2500FPS muzzle.

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Wow! Accubonds disintergrating at 2000 fps. Maybe I should stop loading them to 3500 in my 257 Weatherby.

Try the partitions.

125gr partitions are proven game getters, though I shoot mostly 140gr SSTs in my 6.5. They blast through big hogs, no reason they could not take an elk.
What 6.5 are you shooting? A 260 or 6.5x55 can easly serpass 2500 fps.

this particular rifle doesn't handle heavier bullets well.

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Define this a little better.

Even with the lighter bullets you are looking at a 150-200 yard max range. Elk are huge animals and sub MOA accuracy isn't needed to kill one at 200 yards. Even if your gun will only do 2 MOA with heavier bullets it should still have more than adequate accuracy to hit an elks lungs at 200 yards.

Sometimes we all get too interested in shooting tiny groups. A heavier bullet might still be an option here.

So that cow elk is still twice as big, or more, than a whitetail.

Given 100% correct conditions light bullets can, and do, achieve kills on large animals. Personally I prefer to load for the real conditions and that is that the animal can move at the last minute, you may encounter heavy bone etc.

If a 6.5mm was my only rifle I would shoot Elk sized animals but with a 140 upwards grain bullets preferably a Barnes in case of encountering heavy bone. I prefer to remove a lot of the risk when I hunt.

My friend is a particularly good shot and culls Eland Bulls with a .222 (head shots), that does make the calibre suitable Eland hunting. Draw up a risk profile and factor in brush density, range, bullet weigh, objectively evaluate your skill, animal size etc. etc. and I am sure that will give you a clearer picture of what you need to do.

If you can pass up on a marginal shot and would rather wait for perfect conditions then you also remove a lot of risk.

Use the heavest barns TSX bullet your rifles twist will handle.

Hmmmmmm. I was going to say no problem, then I checked my reloading data. I reload for a number of different rifle, and pistol calibers, but not this one. Isn't this more of a beefed up AR round? I admit, I don't know much about it.

The Hogdgon reloading data shows a max bullet weight of 123 grains, at a muzzle velocity of 2,500, and that is pushing it. It should get the job done if you do your part, but I would prefer a heavier bullet as others have said, and a .260 Remington or 6.5x55 for Elk.

Was that was in response to my .222 comment?

I only now realised my typo, omitted the not, it was meant to read "that DOES NOT make the calibre suitable for eland hunting".

Being a temporarily misplaced Idahoan, your comments make me think you're in Northern Idaho where the ranges are not generally as great as they are in the Southern half. And with that assumption, I want to 2d Bio Chem's comments. Your 120 gr bullet will kill an elk, but you'll need to maximize its accuracy and velocity (<200 yards). You'll need to maximize your own accuracy as well. Good luck!

And I guess it doesn't matter whether you're in the North , South, East or West of the State. Range and accuracy will be key.

10 grams (156 grains?) is the minimum weight here for 6.5x55 calibre. People have dropped moose with .22 rimfire with perfect bullet placement, but the question is, why would you want to risk it? A shoulder cannon is not needed for short range, but use enough gun to give your game a reasonably quick exit from this life Happy Hunting!

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=406601845

Cheapest immediately visible on GB. $275 will put you in a Ruger American 30-06. Two boxes of Remington Core-Lokts will set you back $40 (you can probably sight in and hunt with one box). Sell the rifle for $180 - $200 after the hunt. You're substantially increasing your chances of a successful hunt for under $150.

Yes, it's the Indian, not the arrow. But 120 gr vs elk requires an awful lot out the Indian.

165 gr sp at 2800 fps MV in the 30-06 gives you 280 yards MPBR, 3" high at mid range.

180 gr sp at 2700 only drops MPBR to 270 yards, +3" at 130 yards...

I was ground hunting whitetail in VT last fall with my Swede sporter and 140 gr sp when a Moose cow and he calf came up the trail, looked at me with disdain, and meandered on. All I could think was "I'm gonna need a bigger gun".



Nosler 120 grain Ballistic Tip bullet, 31.0 grains AA2520 powder, COL 2.26", MV 2636 fps.
Nosler 120 grain Ballistic Tip bullet, 29.0 grains RL-15 powder, COL 2.26", MV 2526 fps.

RPRNY said:

Yes, it's the Indian, not the arrow. But 120 gr vs elk requires an awful lot out the Indian.

&

I was ground hunting whitetail in VT last fall with my Swede sporter and 140 gr sp when a Moose cow and he calf came up the trail, looked at me with disdain, and meandered on. All I could think was "I'm gonna need a bigger gun".

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Could not agree more, nicely stated.

While I am a big fan of the 6.5s the grendal is a little small for anything larger then a mule deer. If the Grendal was the only gun I had I would pray that it liked Barnes TSX bullets because they are the most efficient expanding bullets, by efficient I mean creating the most damage per ft/lbs of energy for thick bodied game. That said no 120gr Grendel will do the kind of intetnal damage a 180gr Partition in a 30-06 will do, I would highly recommend adding a high power bolt rifle to your collection if elk is on the menue. No need for a super expensive rifle or magnum caliber, a good ol Savage 110 in 270 or 30-06 is a highly effective tool for everything in the lower 48 and fully rigged won't cost as much as the fancy optics on ARs nowadays. Mine cost $386 new with a Bushnell scope and it shoot 1/2" with several handloads.